The success and impact of the High-Throughput Screening (HTS) Core can be measured in terms of the pre-clinical drug and target discovery activities that are enabled downstream of screening.
To date, the HTS has executed more than 250 screening projects (151 small molecule and 99 RNAi screens). From these efforts, more than 125 publications derived from high-throughput screening have appeared in high-profile journals and patent literature.
These results have provided the foundation for successful funding of more than 122 grant applications for screening programs and advanced characterization of established chemical leads and drug targets.
Importantly, several discoveries from screening programs have led to commercial follow-up via licensing.
Recent examples include:
- Anti-cancer chemical leads licensed to Peloton Therapeutics
- Diabetes candidate licensed to Synalpha Therapeutics
- Chemical leads for cardiac stem cell modulators licensed to Lone Star Heart
- Partnership with Medicines for Malaria Venture which has a candidate (DSM265) in phase I clinical trials
- Anti-colon cancer chemical leads licensed to Barricade Therapeutics
- Chemical leads that potentiate tissue regeneration licensed to Rodeo Pharmaceuticals
One of the keys to our success has been the tight integration of HTS Core expertise with that in medicinal chemistry and ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion). In the case of the former, six faculty members in the Biochemistry Department enable lead optimization and development in pre-clinical drug discovery programs. Their efforts are supported and enhanced by the Pharmacology Core that carries out ADME, toxicity, and efficacy studies to help further define the properties of candidate compounds in vivo. Noelle Williams, Ph.D., directs the Pharmacology Core. More details regarding advanced support for chemical library screens can be found at Advance Project Support for Chemical Screens.